Erica

Brand Strategist + Blog Monetization Coach

Erica believes that the key to creating and growing something worthwhile - something that impacts lives AND fills your bank account - is making people give a s***. Her life calling is to help you understand exactly what your ideal crowd is thinking and feeling, uncover your own value, and then communicate that value in a way that makes everyone want to know you, learn from you, and PAY you to help them. #goals

I like to count the "small" stuff so that no success is ever "too small" to be recognized. We're all always growing and learning, so it's important to keep that in mind and celebrate your journey along the way! But I'd say a few standout successes were having consistent $2K+ months blogging while still a full-time Wharton student, working with household brand nameslike Target and Dove, and honestly...my favorite "successes" are the comments and emails I get from anyone saying I inspired them. I started in the first place in the hopes of just inspiring other people to have better days and live better lives, so anyone validation of that is an incredible feeling.

What's your best tip for bloggers who want to succeed online?

Keep your perspective in check, keep the faith strong, and keep yo' eyes on yo' own paper. Build your entire online empire off of your deeper purpose and passion. Hustle hard, but give yourself grace harder. Never become "too busy" chasing some arbitrarily set goal or dream that you miss opportunities right in front of your face, or neglect to realize your WHY!

What's the best way to connect with other bloggers?

Connect consistently, wherever you're connecting. Think of blogger-connections as if they were real-life connections. Would you pass someone at a coffee shop once, say hi, and expect to be besties? No way. If you're genuinely interested in getting to connect with and know another blogger, make that known by genuinely commenting on their blog posts and social media, and better yet, try to take it to the next level by emailing them! The overarching rule of thumb: be genuine. Connect with no intention other than potentially making a lifelong friend, and see what happens from there.

What's your best tip for productivity?

Batch your content to avoid context switching! Content batching means grouping like tasks together to do at the same time (ie: answering all emails at the same time, writing a week's worth of blog content at the same time, etc.). Context switching is the phenomenon that happens in yo' brain when you're constantly bebopping from one thing to another trying to "multitask." Science shows that we become decreasingly effective at managing multiple tasks the more we throw on our plate! The time it takes to "switch contexts" increases, making us less and less productive. So just DON'T do that - be more productive by focusing on one task at a time. Your brain will actually be able to handle more!